3/3/2013

The only words on the bumper sticker were, “Live Like Luke”. “Luke, who?”, I thought. The author of the third book of the N.T. came to mind. Then I wondered which of his commendable traits was this phrase extolling?

The first sentence in his account of the life of Christ immediately came to mind. In Luke 1:3-4 he said,

Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the...beginning, I decided to write it all out for you… Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught. (The Message Version)

Luke recognized the essential relationship between faith and facts. Even though his friend had been taught about Jesus, Luke wanted to make sure he was absolutely certain about his belief.

Satan has a long history of planting seeds of doubt in peoples’ minds (starting with Eve - Gen. 3:1). The most effective way to counter his attempts to subtly draw us away from God is by bolstering our belief with rock-solid evidence; the kind Luke put together for his friend.

This might be a good time for each of us to pause and ask ourselves, “Am I living like Luke?” By that I mean, have I put forth the effort to learn as much as I can about Jesus and His will? Am I doing all that I can to help others know Him too?

Tragically, many don’t live like Luke. They are content with a “baby” faith satisfied with a baby’s diet of milk. Consequently, they are not mature enough to handle meaty Bible subjects (Heb. 5:11) and are woefully lacking in spirituality (1 Cor. 3:1). God commands His children to grow, (2 Pet. 3:18) so that we can refute the unsteadfast who twist the scriptures to their own destruction and lead the souls of others down the same path.

But living like Luke requires determination, dedication, and doggedness. Not only the kind manifested by Dr. Luke, but even that of the fictional Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame. (Which is likely the “Luke” of the bumper sticker). Luke Skywalker was renowned for his resolve to resist the dark side. But resisting the “dark side” requires conviction with regard to the “right side”. The only way I know how to do that is to live like Luke (i.e. the Luke of the N.T.) Maybe we ought to make him one of our heroes and aspire to “grow up” and live like him? Yes, let us lift our sights and raise our aim to a higher plane for the cause of Christ. Live Like Luke!  KD